Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program

Pre/Observation/Post Cycle Form (POP)

Revised 4.20.17
Directions for Preparation for POP Cycle
1. New Teacher (NT) and Mentor (ME) identify date for lesson observation and set dates/times for pre- and post-observation conferences.
2. Minimum three days before lesson delivery, NT prepares POP Cycle Form.
3. NT completes Section 1: New Teacher Information, lesson plan, and Section 2, Part A NT Reflection.
4. NT emails POP Cycle Form and Lesson Plan to ME.
Directions for Pre-Observation
5. Minimum 48 hours before lesson delivery, ME reviews Lesson Plan and Section 2, Part A: New Teacher Reflection; completes Section 2, Part B: ME Feedback.
6. ME shares feedback with NT during pre-observation conference. Lesson plan is adjusted as needed and finalized for delivery.
Directions for Observation and Preparation for Post-Observation Conference
7. During lesson delivery, ME completes Section 3A: ME Observation of Lesson Delivery, noting both Teacher Actions and Student Actions.
8. Prior to Post-Observation Conference, NT reflects on lesson outcomes and completes Part 3B: NT Reflection on Lesson Delivery.
Post Observation Conference Directions:
9. Within 48 hours, NT and ME share notes; discuss lesson observations and outcomes; complete Section 4. All parts should be transcribed into one document and submitted to course instructor. Information is used for
ILP.

Section 1: New Teacher Information

New Teacher Email Subject Area Grade Level
Deborah Saxton dsaxton4622@gmail.com science 8
Mentor Email School/District Date
Kris Olson olsonk@flchurch.org First Lutheran 10/10/21
Content Standard Lesson Objectives Unit Topic Lesson Title
MS-PS2-4 Students who
demonstrate understanding Using a PhET simulation
can: students will explore the
Construct and present relationship between the
arguments using evidence to mass of interacting objects
support the claim that and the distance between
gravitational interactions are them. Following working Forces and their interaction What are gravitational forces and
attractive and depend on the through the exercise with objects. what affects their magnitude?
masses of interacting objects students will understand
that the larger the mass and
the closer objects are
together, than the greater
the attractive forces will be.

CSTP Element(s) Focus for POP Cycle (In semesters 2, 3, 4, copy pertinent elements from ILP for POP Cycle focus.)
1 - Emerging 2 - Exploring 3 - Applying 4 - Integrating 5 – Innovating
NT pedagogical skills are newly formed and just Skills are developing as NT investigates Skills are applied as NT makes Skills are refined as NT combines elements Skills are polished as NT expands ability to
coming into prominence and examines pedagogical practices increased relevant and suitable use into a cohesive and unified pedagogical add new methods and strategies into
of pedagogical choices repertoire pedagogical repertoire
CSTP Element Initial Rating Rating Description (Identify both teacher and student rating for CSTP 1 and 2.)
NT: Exploring Seeks to clarify instruction and learning activities to support student
understanding.
CSTP Monitoring student learning while T: exploring
1.6 teaching S: exploring Student: Exploring Students receive assistance individually or in small groups
during instruction.

Creating physical or virtual learning Students use a variety of resources in learning

environments that promote student learning, environments and interact in ways that deepen their understanding of the content
CSTP reflect diversity,and encourage constructive
T: applying
2.2 S: applying and develop constructive social and academic interactions.
and productive interactions among students.

Section 2: Pre-Observation Conference

Inquiry Focus/Special Emphasis
● What is your inquiry focus and/or special emphasis?
● How will you incorporate the inquiry focus and/or
special emphasis into the lesson?
● What specific feedback do you want from your ME?
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
Part A: NT Reflection
Use questions to guide reflection on the lesson plan.
My inquiry focus is to allow me to monitor
student progress while they work collaboratively
on an assignment that uses an online tool to
deliver an inquiry based approach to a subject.
During class I will be able to cruise the
classroom reviewing students' work, helping
them with areas of hardship and where
necessary providing redirection. By having
Part B: ME Feedback
Provide feedback on lesson plan reflection.
Good integration of technology to manipulate
the distance and mass. Students will be able
to discover the relationship and test their
hypothesis.
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Focus Students
● Summarize critical needs and how
you will address them during this
lesson.
● What specific feedback regarding your focus students
do you want from your ME?
Specific Feedback
● What additional specific feedback do you want from
your ME regarding lesson implementation?
Instructional Planning
● How is the lesson structured (opening, body, and
closing)?
● What varied teaching strategies and differentiated
instruction will help students meet lesson goals?
● What progress monitoring strategies will be used? How
will results inform instruction?
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
students discover relationships in a particular
phenomena for themselves this will promote
learning. When students work together on this
project this will allow for collaboration,
constructive learning and communication as
they discuss the topic at hand. Using an online
simulation to allow student discovery will allow
students to use technology to meet this goal.
Focus Student 1: English Learner Focus Student 2: Student w/ILP/504 Focus Student 3: Your Choice
A critical need with this student is
that he needs to slow down with
completion of work in order to
understand and assimilate the This student needs reassurance
information. By providing students and guidance that he is on the
with one task to complete in this right track. By making preferred
lesson period then he should be partner assignments I can choose
Preteach vocabulary and encourage relieved of the pressure to a partner who will help alleviate
a high level of detail in answers complete work and avoid having these anxieties. By working with
provided. Allow and provide many leftovers as homework. He is very the pair early on in the assignment
opportunities for the student to anxious when in the classroom so I and towards the wrap up stage I
seek clarification and ask for help. I can help provide a nurturing can ensure they are on the right
will check in with the student environment in order to reduce his track and heading towards the
frequently to address any errors or stress levels. I can remind students desired conclusion. I will ask the
misconceptions as soon as possible. that learning of concepts is the student to explain to me what he
goal and there are no prizes for will be doing to check for
being first finished. Frequent understanding before he embarks
check-ins - especially at the on the assignment in order that he
beginning of the simulation will starts out on the right foot.
allow me to provide gentle
reminders about the need for
accuracy rather than speed.
Are there any other strategies I could employ in Intentional pairing. Frequent check ins will be
order to ensure success for students 2 and 3? important
Does the lesson allow me to monitor student
With the plan you have created and the
work effectively during the lesson? I can review
relatively small class size, you should be able to
their completed work but do you have any other
monitor their understanding and provide
suggestions regarding assistance I could offer
leading questions if they are off track
during lesson delivery?
Opening: show students a picture of the solar
system and ask for explanations on why this
order stays intact with no planets switching
positions or moons switching orbits.
Body: self driven exploration to develop factors
that affect the gravitational pull between
Good opening. The tides and orbits of the
different sized mass and the distance between
planets are both things the students have
them. Differentiated instruction will be in the
observed or have prior knowledge of so they
form of 2 bonus questions which demand an
can make a connection with the lesson.
application of the material and ideas that were
presented during the main exploration.
The bonus question will push students beyond
Progress monitoring will include walking the
the basic level of understanding.
classroom checking in on students'
understanding with targeted questions. The
results of this informal line of questioning may
result in providing the students with additional
instruction or by directing their attention to one
area or important part of the exploration.
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Student Engagement/Learning
● How will you make the lesson relevant to all the
students?
● How will students show progress towards master of
lesson objectives?
Classroom Management
● How will you maintain a positive learning environment
with a welcoming climate of caring, respect, and
fairness?
● Identify specific classroom procedures and strategies
for preventing/redirecting challenging behaviors.
Closure
● How will you close your lesson?
● How will you assess student learning and prepare them
for the next lesson?
EXAMPLE
CSTP 1: Engaging All Students
● In what ways were students
engaged?
Specific Feedback
● What information can you
provide the NT regarding
requested special
feedback?
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
By including an application to a real world
situation this will provide a connection for all
students.
Virtual activity will lead students to an
Progress will be shown as students provide
understanding of the main concept of the
accurate data from the simulation and arrive at
lesson and allow them to test their
a reasonable assumption about the effect of
understanding.
mass and distance on the gravitational force
between objects. The exit ticket will provide
The exit ticket is straightforward allowing the
evidence as to whether students have grasped
NT to quickly assess understanding.
the main idea and as to their level of
understanding of both the facts and their
connection to real life situations.
The science classroom already has a positive
learning environment which I try to maintain
and foster by being approachable and
encouraging students to ask questions. Students
are used to working with one another in varied
The NT has demonstrated a positive
pair groupings for practical experiments.
relationship with the students. The activity is
Students are aware of strict safety rules in place
engaging, like playing a game.
for lab experiments and the consequences of
choosing to ignore these guidelines. I am
NT monitoring progress by moving around the
fortunate to work in a school where students
class will also help students stay focused.
are generally respectful and courteous to one
another. I can help students stay on tasks with
positive reinforcement of their current discovery
and produce encouragement to maintain focus
in order to meet the lesson objective.
The lesson will close by having students share
their conclusions on the white board. Each
student will then complete an exit ticket. I will
assess these tickets along with completed The exit ticket will be further evidence of
worksheets to evaluate if students have grasped understanding. The worksheets will push the
the main point of the lesson and then following observations to an application of the concept.
analysis of work I will recap and move on with Well designed worksheets.
our journey into the principles governing physics
or spend time reviewing concepts with a
different approach.
Section 3: Observation of Lesson Delivery
Part 3A: ME Observation of Lesson Delivery Part 3B: NT Reflection on
Teacher Actions Student Actions Lesson Delivery
Student groups answered worksheet questions that included all
When teacher reviewed worksheet, she asked additional questions of Students completed the worksheets and were able to ask questions.
levels of Bloom’s (“Identify 6 problem-solving strategies; pick two
analysis and evaluation (“which problem-solving strategy do you Most groups needed revisions for their questions;
strategies and identify at least one similarity and one difference
prefer? How could you create a math problem that could be solved comparison/contrast was the most common analysis question. I
between them”). Groups then selected a strategy and created
with this strategy?”) need to give them a Bloom’s question stems handout next time.
two math problems to exchange tomorrow.
Students seemed at ease with their
interactions with the NT whether
The lesson did allow the NT to individually or in the whole group
monitor student work effectively setting at the beginning of the
I felt that I was successful in
during the lesson. Due to the small lesson. This relationship allows the
interacting individually and on a
class size of 15 students, the NT was NT to be most effective in the
meaningful level with each student in
able to interact with each student lesson because students feel
the classroom.
multiple times during the class comfortable expressing their ideas
period. without fear of being wrong. The
NT is skilled at guiding the students
to understanding through
questioning.
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CSTP 1: Engaging All
Students
● In what ways were
students engaged? How
were students not
engaged?
● How did students
contribute to their
learning?
● How did teacher and/or
students monitor learning?
● How were the focus
students engaged and
supported throughout the
lesson?
CSTP 2: Effective Learning
Environment
● How did students and
teacher contribute to an
effective learning
environment?
CSTP 3: Organizing Subject
Matter
● What actions of the NT
contributed to student
assimilation of subject
matter?
● How did students
construct knowledge of
subject matter?
● What misconceptions did
students have and how
were they addressed by
the teacher?
CSTP 4: Learning
Experiences
● How were students
supported through
differentiated instruction?
● How did students
participate?
● How did the NT contribute
to student learning?
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
Students were engaged with the
activity. They were able to discuss
NT engaged students by asking
and work together in pairs which
questions - sometimes taking
Students contributed to their own helped them stay on task. They
volunteers to answers and other
learning by participating in the intro contributed to their own learning by
times calling on students
discussion discovering for themselves the
All students appeared to be engaged
Students also participated in the relationship between the variables in
The simulation in itself was engaging
simulation without prompting. the experiment. The PhET
and students easily manipulated the
They seemed to find it interesting. simulations are intuitive and easy to
variables
Students monitored their learning use so students were comfortable
The focus students were supported
by completing the chart in the and interested to interact with this
by additional one-on-one attention
simulation concept.
from the NT as well as their
Focus students were able to stay on
strategically chosen partner
task and successfully complete this
activity.
The learning environment was I am lucky to teach in an
relaxed environment where students are
NT reviewed needed vocab generally very attentive and studious
Students contributed to an effective
NT established a safe space for in their work. I try to keep the
learning environment by
answering questions - some answers atmosphere in my classroom open to
volunteering to answer, interacting
or guesses were met with a comments and discussions. Students
with their partner or table mates
“Interesting” response from the NT are comfortable asking questions - I
and asking questions of the NT
so there wasn’t a fear of being wrong may not give them a direct answer
when they didn’t understand
NT moved about the classroom but lead them in the right direction
something.
stopping at various students’ desks so they may draw their own
and asking questions or discussing conclusions and have more
what they were observing. ownership in their learning.
I built on their background
knowledge of students by reviewing
key vocabulary before we began the
lesson - this helped them to develop
Students constructed knowledge of the right mindset for the lesson.
the subject matter by participating Content was built upon by guided
in the intro and then observing self discovery as by manipulating
what happened during the mass and distance students could
NT laid the groundwork for the
simulation discover the relationship themselves.
concept by reviewing vocab (forces,
The simulation was very A hard concept for them to
mass, distance)
straightforward and students understand was the scientific
NT also related the concept to the
seemed to see the relationship notation of the forces involved. I was
orbits of the solar system and also
fairly easily. The only able to explain by having them look
tide cycle, both familiar to the
misconceptions I observed involved at the negative value of the
students
a lack of understanding for some exponents and compare them but
students of scientific notation and their mathematical understanding
knowing which number was smaller was less than ideal. If I repeat this
and which was larger. This was activity I would preface the lesson
with a number line activity where
students look closely at exponents
and am more able to tell which is less
and which is more.
Each student had a chromebook so Differentiated instruction was built
NT used questions to monitor the
they could work through the into the activity as students could
student’s understanding
simulation choose to try their own experiments
The level of the NT’s questions varied
Each student also had a partner to to complete the tables and help
depending on the understanding of
discuss with whom to discuss their explore the mathematical
the student - For Focus Student #3, I
observations relationships between mass, distance
definitely saw the “light go on” as the
Students participated by and subsequent force. For the focus
NT guided him to understanding the
completing the simulation and students who needed extra support I
concept, a moment all teachers
discussing their observations with was able to check in with them more
cherish
their partner. frequently to ensure they were on
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CSTP 5: Assessing Student
Learning
● How did students
demonstrate achievement
of lesson objectives?
● In what ways did students
struggle or demonstrate
limited understanding?
● What teacher actions
contributed to student
achievement?
To what degree did students
achieve lesson objectives?
To what degree did focus
students achieve lesson
objectives?
What would you do differently
next time?
What were three top Lesson
Strengths?
What were three top areas for
improvement?
What are next steps?
Mentor - The lesson was well organized and implemented. The use of technology enables students to explore the concepts individually by
way of the simulation. This was an engaging activity and all the students seemed on task for the full 50 minutes.
All parts of this form should be transcribed (typed; not hand-written) into a single document and submitted to course instructor.
POP Cycle, Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program (FOTIP), 2017. Adapted from CSU Fullerton Titan EDUCATOR Project, 2017.
track and to help guide them to the
conclusion.
Students demonstrated
achievement by successfully Exit tickets enabled me to see that
completing the simulation and students had connected the
demonstrating an understanding of relationship between mass, distance
The NT contributed to student
the relationship between mass and force. Some students struggled
achievement by talking to each
and/or distance and the force of with the scientific notations value of
student about his/her observations
gravity the forces involved. Checking in with
and conclusion prior to giving the
Students also completed an exit students and reviewing their work as
student the exit ticket
ticket to show understanding of the they progressed through the activity
concept. gave me an opportunity to provide
Some students struggled with direction and clarification.
scientific notation
Section 4: Post Observation Conference
The majority of the students were able to achieve the lesson objective by working through the simulation and
identifying the type of relationship between the variables for themselves.
Focus Student 1: English Learner Focus Student 2: Student w/ILP/504 Focus Student 3: Your Choice
New concepts are tough for this
student but by checking in more
This student needed some
often adn providing more
redirection as he sped through the
The EL student was successful in guidance, along with some direct
work but upon settling into a
obtaining a high level of questioning while examining the
slower pace he was able to
understanding. data this student was able to
complete the tables and draw final
achieve the lesson objective of
conclusions.
understanding how mass and
distance affect force.
I would review scientific notation and practice placing values on a number line as this was a difficult concept for
some students. I would challenge the higher level students by having them change the variables themselves in a
less guided manner in order to be a little more independent in their learning.
Strengths of the lesson were the sefl discovery of the mathematical relationship for the students, partner talk to
help solidify and make connections with content, interactive nature of simulation meant students were engaged
and stayed on task.
Areas for improvement - ensuring that students understand the data that is produced through the online
experiment. I could demo changing the variables for the students using the projector that would save some
time as they played around with the simulation a little. At the end of the simulation exercise I could include
some real world examples and ask for students to make connections with distance and mass related to forces
adn how it would apply to say our solar system.
Next steps are to build on concepts of force between all objects in order to explain why gravity affects objects
the way it does and relate this to the concept of weight.
Other Comments/Notes
Information from this POP Cycle should be summarized on the NT ILP as appropriate.
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